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international

‘Temporarily halt further internationalization of UvA’

Bor van Zeeland,
18 oktober 2022 - 11:00

The UvA is already bursting at the seams, and that threatens to only get worse in the coming years, writes Asva board member Bor van Zeeland. He believes that the UvA, until there are instruments to curb the influx of internationals, should stop offering new English-language programs.

This year is busier than ever at the UvA. Students are complaining bitterly about the lack of study places, the housing shortage seems more acute than ever and the quality of education is under pressure. These signs are part of unprecedented rapid growth at UvA, caused in large part by internationalization.

 

The UvA went from 31,000 students in 2016 to 41,000 in 2022 and is currently heading toward an expected student population of 50,000 students in 2026. That's a growth of 9,000 students in four years. Help is on the way to make growth responsible in the form of the Language and Accessibility Act (WTT), but this has now been delayed until at least 2026. Until then, the UvA can no longer sit idly by. It will have to make the difficult choice to halt further internationalization until it has the directives in place to allow for controlled growth.

 

Language and Accessibility Act

Help is on the way to make growth responsible in the form of the Language and Accessibility Act (WTT), but this has now been delayed until at least 2026. Until then, the UvA can no longer sit idly by. It will have to make the difficult choice to halt further internationalization until it has the directives in place to allow for controlled growth.

‘Media & Culture went from 90 to 460 freshmen in four years due to internationalization, Sociology went from 50 to 200, Political Science from 130 to 560’

Throughout the Netherlands and at the UvA, many bachelor programs have started offering an English-language track in recent years. This puts the Netherlands at the forefront of Europe in offering accessible, high-quality and inexpensive English-language education.

 

It is something the UvA can be very proud of and should be embraced. However, at the moment the UvA seems out of control of its consequences, putting precisely these values under pressure.

 

The internationalization of programs sparks a huge increase in the number of students in those programs. To cite a few examples: Media & Culture went from 90 to 460 freshmen in four years due to internationalization, Sociology went from 50 to 200, Political Science from 130 to 560. In all these programs, concerns are being raised that the quality of education is under pressure from the consequences of this unlimited growth.

 

Lack of space

This year ASVA is hearing stories of students who are forced to sit on the floor at lectures or have to retake classes online due to a lack of space. Students have also been complaining about the course registration process for some time. This now often feels like buying concert tickets, with students having to sit ready behind their laptops at a quarter to eight in the morning to secure a spot in sought-after courses as quickly as possible.

‘We see the housing market become increasingly tight, leaving hundreds of international students currently homeless’

Some students even experience study delays because they were late in registering for a course, even though they were ready when registrations opened.

 

Workload

The teachers themselves also seem unable to cope with the workload. They indicate that they cannot provide students with the quality of feedback they would like to give. Just last year there was a review strike for two blocks by study group teachers because of the heavy workload resulting from the increased number of students.

 

In addition, this growth has made the housing market increasingly tight. Hundreds of international students are currently homeless and in danger of ending up on the streets in a city they don't know. They are being forced to sleep on the couch at friends' houses or pay high prices for hostels, hotels and campsites. Amsterdam's room shortage of 6,600 rooms continues to mount, and room rates are becoming more expensive relative to the rest of the country.

 

This year, the UvA even had to warn first-year students not to come to the city if they did not find housing. This puts enormous pressure on prospective students. Many of them have had to cancel their enrollment just before the start of academic due to the housing shortage. By then they have spent months and thousands of euros preparing to come to Amsterdam when it was already clear that there would be no place for them.

‘Although the UvA is sounding the alarm, it continues to internationalize programs’

Not the problem

Of course, international students are not the cause of these problems. It's no secret that funding per student from the state has been decreasing for years and that Amsterdam has relatively little student housing. But the UvA should take into account the fact that such rapid growth in the face of this shortage makes students the victims. Merely warning first-year international students will not solve these problems.

 

Now that the city and the UvA can no longer handle the growth, it is time for the UvA to take matters into its own hands and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

 

Fortunately, the UvA has also realized that things cannot go on like this. Last month, the university sounded the alarm about growth by unexpectedly announcing a quota for the number of international students in Political Science and Psychology.

 

Now that the Language and Accessibility Act has been delayed until 2026, the UvA feels it has no means to do anything about the growth. This law would be the UvA's salvation as it would allow for a maximum number of students per track in a program. This would allow the university to control growth and internationalize programs in a controlled manner.

 

2026 is too late

As the UVA itself points out, 2026 is too late, given the problems that already exist with only 41,000 students. Are UVA's hands as tied as they claim? Because even though the UvA is sounding the alarm about the unrestrained growth due to internationalization, it continues to internationalize programs.

 

For example, starting next year, Social Geography and Planning will also offer an English track, which is expected to triple the number of first-year students in this program. In addition, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration continues to actively recruit students abroad. So the UvA still seems to have active policies in place that will ensure even more growth.

 

In light of these issues, the UvA cannot sit still until 2026. It must take matters into its own hands to curb this growth. One option could be to impose a cap on the programs that are growing the fastest. But that option is not ideal. A selection based on a student's skills favors those who are already privileged and have more resources to meet admission standards, which only increases social inequality.

 

Therefore, growth should be halted by stopping further internationalization of the UvA until the WTT allows it to internationalize in a controlled manner. It will not be an easy choice, but it is the most effective way to keep growth at a level that the UvA and the city can handle. This would achieve sustainable growth that will ensure accessible, quality and inexpensive English-language education for everyone at the UvA.

 

This article was written by Bor van Zeeland, General Board Member of ASVA Student Union 22|23.